Is an TV another TV? I’ve already got a TV…

Thankfully, NO. The TV is not a TV with an Apple logo on it. It’s a small black box that connects to your TV, and unlocks some very nice features for you to incorporate into your daily life.
If you have a TV that has an available HDMI port, then you already have everything you need to get started, except for, well, the TV.

So what exactly is the TV capable of?

There are some great features that Apple made available for us to consume on the TV. Granted, a lot of the features were built with only the first-worlds in mind, but there is still enough to get us excited.

Some Apple-specific features you can look forward to after installing yours:

1. A fully functional remote-app to control your TV from your iPhone. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id1096834193&v0=www-us-tv-app-apple-tv-remote
2. Enjoy Apple and 3rd-party Accessories https://www.apple.com/shop/tv/tv-accessories
3. Enter the future and start talking to your TV! Siri is now installed and functional on the TV, and she’s rather helpful! Ask her things like “I want to watch the next episode of Homeland” or even “I feel like watching an ’80s movie“, and my best “What did she say?“
4. Apps Apps and more Apps! TV now not only supports the App Storethat we all know and love, but it also features builtin Flash Storage (uber fast) in the sizes of 32GB and 64GB. From Games to Education, Lifestyle to Health & Fitness, the app store is growing every single day.
5. Hallelujah! Access your entire Music account through the TV Interface. All of your (and Apple’s) Music is 100% accessible and playable (roughly 37 million tracks, give or take a few million). Learn more about Apple Music
6. Browse and show-off your over-sized Photo Library  straight from your TV with your TV Remote. iCloud Photo Library is completely built-in, and such a breeze to use.
7. Air Play is still here! Playing a video on your phone, and projecting it to your TV is still a breeze with the new TV, and a real treat. Pictures, websites, videos and even games can be “Air-Played” to your TV thanks to that new title black box sitting next to it.

Let’s get down to business, what can I watch on this TV?

Great question…

Since the TV now supports the App Store, many premium digital broadcasting companies have allowed access to its database through a minimal monthly fee. Some of these channels do require a little bit of extra dedication and know-how to make them work with international content, but Apple Domination Consulting has got you covered!
Here’s a brief list of the most common apps that I install at my clients once their TV is up and running.

Youtube
Free
www.youtube.com

Hulu Plus
$8/month (With an optional $4 extra for NO COMMERCIALS!)
Trial is 7 Days long
www.hulu.com

Netflix
$10/month
Trial is 30 Days long
www.netflix.com

HBO
$15/month (No commercials)
Trial is 30 Days long
www.hbonow.com

Showtime
$9/month (No Commercials)
Trial is 30 Days long

Showmax
R99/month
Trial is 30 Days long
Requires a South African Apple ID.
www.showmax.com

These are the most common, and to be honest, best options, if you want to stream ALL of your daily movies, series, documentaries, and enough kids shows to keep everyone busy.
There are quite a few other channels that work in our country with a little convincing, like WWE, RedBull, CBS News, Sky news, History Channel (limited) and National Geographic (limited).

 

What if my family hears about this, and we all want to watch our own shows at the same time?

Well, it’s 2017 and this has been accommodated for.

If you want to watch 2 different Streams (essentially channels) at the same time, on 2 different physical TVs, well, you can simply add another Apple TV to your home. Each physical TV that requires Access to the TV content, will require their own TV. There is no “extending” or “extra-view” options for TV.

The great news though, is that you if you are just here for the “Streaming Content”, then you won’t even need an extra TV. All the major channels (like Hulu, Netflix, Youtube, HBO etc) have already made their apps compatible with iOS (the operating system for your iPhone and iPad).

So this means one person could watch on the Apple TV, and the other members of the family could watch on their respective devices, like iPads, iPhones and iPods. Each channel has their own streaming limitations. For instance, HBO can only stream 1 stream at a time, while Netflix can do up to 4 (4 different shows can be played from one netflix account simultaneously) So each channel would need to be tested for your individual needs.

Okay Okay, what’s all of this going to cost me? 💰

Let’s not sugar-coat it, here’s what you can expect costing-wise to bring your home into the 21st century with all your viewing pleasure;

TV Latest (4th Generation)

• 32GB – ~ R2,600
• 64GB – ~ R3,600
• The price varies slightly between vendors, such as:
  • Digicape – https://www.digicape.co.za/apple-tv
  • iStore – https://www.myistore.co.za/apple-tv
  • Dion Wired – http://www.dionwired.co.za/catalogsearch/result/?q=apple+tv
  • Incredible Connection – https://www.incredible.co.za/search/?q=apple+tv
  • Takealot – http://www.takealot.com/all/?qsearch=Apple+tv&_sb=1&_dt=all&_r=1

If you are keen to look for the 3rd generation Apple TV, which is considerably cheaper, since it didn’t support the App Store as well as included no builtin storage, your best bet is purchase 2nd hand on Gumtree, or watch Takealot (They still somehow manage to get random shipments of them)

I take about, and charge, 4 hours (@ R450 per hour) to complete the installation, including:

• Install & Configure TV
• Create and install all Video Streaming Content channels (Netflix, Hulu etc)
• Configure any IP Routing required (unblocking international content for viewing in your home)
• Setup and install all streaming apps on any devices required

That’s it, no hidden costs, everything’s included above.